Leeds man who caused 'mass disruption' in Harehills during nine-hour stand off with police jailed for three years
A Leeds man laughed as he heard of how he brought an area of Leeds to a standstill during a nine-hour standoff with police at a cost of thousands to the public purse.
Ian Murry, 44, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court today (Thursday) after the incident in Harehills on March 8, during which he threw items at emergency crews and threatened to jump from a window.
As well as a charge of intentionally causing a public nuisance, Murry was also sentenced for two further charges of harassment and threats to kill, which related to his former partner and her friend respectively.
For the prosecution, Victoria Barker told the court that Murry had been in an on and off again relationship with his former partner for 12 years and that they had four children together.
The court heard that Murry suffered a relapse in the use of class A drugs following the death of the couples’ twin children after they were born prematurely in October 2024.
Ms Barker said that the relationship “deteriorated as a result” and that Murry became “paranoid and possessive”.
On February 12 the “jealous and controlling” Murry insisted on taking his partner to work and keeping her in the car until her manager called to find out where she was.
Ms Barker said: “The defendant believed she was using the excuse of attending work to leave the house.”
After Murry let his partner go to her job he continued to call her at work and told her she “couldn’t come home” and that he “would put her in a box”.
There were subsequent occasions of Murry harassing his former partner as he called her repeatedly and sent threatening messages, including one in which he said he would “cause violence in the street in front of their children”.
The charge of threats to kill were to a friend of Murry’s former partner, who tried to intervene when she saw him with his daughter on February 12 while he was “agitated”.
The court heard that Murry said he would “get a brick and smash it in your face”.
Finally, the court heard that Murry brought an area in Harehills to a standstill for nine hours on March 8 when police were called to Seaforth Terrace to reports of fighting at 11.20am.
Murry was inside a property and told police that he had petrol and that “they would need fireproof jackets”. More crews were called to the scene as a result.
Murry was then halfway out of a window on the upper floor making threats to jump and abusing emergency crews, who he threw items at.
Two roads were blocked off as emergency crews tried to urge Murry down, but they then stormed the property and arrested him when they “deemed that negotiations were pointless”.
Murry pleaded guilty to the three charges at a pre trial and preparation hearing on May 13.
He has 30 previous convictions for 66 offences, which include a “large variety” of crimes including assault, public order, criminal damage, possession of a weapon, robbery, burglary, affray and battery.
For the defence, Mike Walsh highlighted a probation report that found there was a “real prospect of rehabilitation” but conceded that he “couldn’t provide much more mitigation”, other than to point to his early guilty plea.
Mr Walsh said: “I can’t suggest for a moment that the custody threshold hasn’t been crossed.”
He also said that Mr Walsh had been remorseful of his crimes and that they had come about due to tragedies in his life, saying: “Lots of people have to deal with difficult things that come across them in their lives and he doesn’t suggest he dealt with his situation in the best way possible.
“He hopes that with assistance from family and friends and the probation services there will be a reduced risk of him coming before the courts in the future.”
Sentencing Murry, who had been remanded in custody for 94 days since his arrest in Harehills, Recorder Adam Haslam summarised the details of the offences.
Murry laughed as he said his offending in Harehills caused “mass disruption to the public and all three emergency services” and “cost the public purse thousands of pounds”.
Murry then stormed off as he was given a total of three years in prison, of which he will serve half before being considered for release on license.